Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on 10 August sharply questioned why Home Minister Amit Shah had been absent from both Houses of Parliament for days, only to signal readiness to make a statement on the students' protest with just two days remaining in the Monsoon Session. The challenge came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju assured the Lok Sabha that Shah was prepared to deliver a detailed reply on the matter.

Congress's Core Demand

Venugopal told reporters that the Opposition had been pressing for a Home Minister statement since 21 July — the day after police action against protesters in New Delhi. 'Since July 21, we have been demanding a statement from the Home Minister. But since July 21, the Home Minister has been absent from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,' he said.

With the session scheduled for adjournment sine die on Thursday, Venugopal questioned the timing pointedly: 'Now, only two days are left. The session is going to be adjourned sine die on Thursday. Where is the Home Minister?'

What Venugopal Raised in His Letter to the Speaker

Prior to the floor confrontation, Venugopal had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to direct the Home Minister to appear before the House. The letter cited concerns over alleged police brutality against student demonstrators, including the reported use of pellet guns against protesters in the national Capital.

'I wrote a letter to the Speaker, citing constitutional provisions. Power lies with the Speaker to ask the Home Minister to come and make a statement related to atrocities against the students... Every minister is accountable to Parliament,' Venugopal said.

Government's Assurance and Rijiju's Appeal

Amid heavy sloganeering from the Opposition benches, Rijiju assured the House that the government was ready for a discussion and called upon the Opposition not to 'run away' during the debate. 'Congress and Rahul Gandhi were demanding that Home Minister Amit Shah should give a statement. The government is ready to discuss the students' issue and the Home Minister is ready to give a detailed reply,' Rijiju said.

The assurance, however, did little to pacify the Congress. Venugopal alleged Shah had also skipped presenting two Bills he was slated to introduce. 'Amit Shah ji is completely hiding; I don't know where he is going. There were two Bills which he should have presented, but he did not come,' he said.

Session Background and Opposition Protests

The Monsoon Session 2024 entered its final week on Monday with the Opposition maintaining a sustained agitation over two issues: the NEET paper leak and the police action against protesters on 20 July. Both issues have disrupted proceedings repeatedly through the session.

This is not the first time a government's late-session assurance has drawn Opposition scepticism — critics argue that statements offered in the final hours of a session leave little time for substantive debate or follow-up. How the government manages the remaining floor time will determine whether the session closes with accountability or another procedural standoff.